The damage to the front of the Cambridge Health and Community Centre as it looked early last Saturday morning before locals stepped in to help.
Damage done to bollards outside the Cambridge Health and Community Centre last weekend was repaired just over 24 hours later thanks to a swift offer of help by local businessman Ian Moess.
The wooden bollards were ripped from the ground by an out-of-control vehicle in the early hours of last Saturday. Evidence outside the Taylor St premises shows deep tyre tracks leading to a power pole now bearing the scrape marks. The vehicle careened across the top of the centre’s driveway and hit the bollards, tearing all 17 from the ground, and then clipped a tree at the edge of the property before reversing and driving off.
News of the incident posted to the Cambridge Grapevine page early last Saturday was spotted by Andrea Moess. She and her husband run their Cambridge family business – Eric Moess Fencing.
Andrea said the business often tried to find ways to help in the community. “When we saw it on the Cambridge Grapevine, we were happy to help out.”
They provided about $500 worth of repair work at no charge.
The team swung into action for about three hours on Sunday morning. Among the friends and family who swelled their number were Waikato Regional Council harbourmaster Chris Bredenbeck, The Gardenator NZ Anne McClennan, the Moess’s 13-year-old daughter Georgia and her friend Esme McClennan, and Steven Strachan of Drainage Direct.
The damage was repaired just over 24 hours later thanks to the locals that pitched in.
The teens helped pick up the car parts and glass shards, while Steven fixed a broken drain pipe damaged in the incident – also offering his services free of charge. Fuelling everyone with coffee and donuts was Gourmet Delicious, who occupy space in the centre.
The Cambridge Health and Community Centre’s Deb Knowles was grateful to Eric Moess Fencing for its offer help and thanked all those involved.
“We’re extremely grateful to Ian and his team, to Gourmet Delicious, to the Toy Library for posting it on the Cambridge Grapevine, to Montessori Pre-School who helped follow it up with a non-Facebook user like me, and to Waikato Security who phoned it in to police.
“Somewhere out there is a Holden with an awful lot of frontal damage!”
Police said the report received had come in as a traffic accident, and after finding no reports of motor vehicle accidents in the area, the job had been closed off. Investigations have since been re-opened.
“It really comes down to the way in which an incident is reported,” said Detective Sergeant Bill Crowe.
He urged people seeing or hearing anything out of the normal to report it to police as soon as possible.
